Too early to speak about future of EU sanctions — Russia's envoy

He said it’s hard to be certain on the issue due to "varying opinions" inside the EU

Share

1 pages in this article

MOSCOW, October 13. /TASS/. It is too early to make predictions on whether the European Union will expand its economic sanctions against Russia, Russia’s EU envoy Vladimir Chizhov said on Thursday night.

"Let’s not jump to conclusions," he said in a Rossiya 24 TV channel broadcast, when asked by the host on whether Brussels was set to extend its sectoral sanctions against Russia by another six months.

He said it’s hard to be certain on the issue due to "varying opinions" inside the EU.

"Every six months, envoys of EU member states gather under the chairmanship of a European body. A number of states speak in favor of easing the sanctions, others want them lifted. At the same time, another group says: you are right, the sanctions are not working, but only because they are not tough enough. The chairperson says: as opinions vary so greatly, then I suggest leaving it all as it is and raise this issue again six months later," the diplomat said.

On September 14, the European Union extended individual sanctions against Russian individuals and companies by another six months. At the moment, there are 149 individuals and 38 organizations on the sanctions blacklist.